A Story of Rage and Love
by hortensetheowl
Summary: We all know the story of Soren's brother Kludd, but what do we truly know of the owl he once was? Has he always been full of hatred and blood? Where does his rivalry with Soren truly begin? And how did Kludd and Nyra fall in love? This is the untold story of how a simple Barn Owl became a feared tyrant. This is the story of Metal Beak
1. Prologue

Prologue

On a warm summer evening in the Forest Kingdom of Tyto, all seemed calm. The crickets chirped in their usual way, and the moon sliced through the tall evergreens, giving all of them – particularly the blue green spruce trees – an ethereal, silvery glow. But in a fir tree near a branch of the River Hoole, the atmosphere was anything but calm.

"But why, Da?" A young nestling shreed, his voice quivering with upset. "The St. Aggies raids will only grow stronger, and they won't care about the blessings of peace. And the rouge smith here is one of the best in the Southern Kingdoms. Why, just last night, Leroy was telling me that he and his da – "

"Kludd Alba," the owlet's father said in a voice as cold as iron, "I do not give a steaming pile of racdrops what Leroy and his family do. I am not getting battle claws, and I refuse to allow discussion of such things in this hollow. If you are a wise young owl, I firmly hope that you will drop the matter, because such discussions will produce no results here!" And with that, the father flew off in a huff, with the mother, who had been covering the ear slits of Kludd's younger brother for most of the discussion, not too far behind. With that, the nest maid, a blind snake with scales the colour of dawn, continued to clean the nest, as she had been during the argument.

Kludd sighed, trying desperately to calm himself down. He then whispered tentatively to his younger brother, who was still covered in down, "Soren, don't you think that maybe Da might be – " But when he turned his head in Soren's direction, his younger brother was scratching a picture of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree – a place that was a favourite subject of the stories their Da told – into the wall behind him.

_Probably just as well. _Kludd thought to himself. _He wouldn't give a steaming pile of racdrops either. _By all means, Soren was a decent enough brother to Kludd – polite, loving, and respectful. However, in Kludd's mind, he lacked both the courage to stand up to his older brother and the imagination to consider more than the blessings of peace their father spoke of so often. Kludd was often quite rough towards his younger brother, and while his father's lectures annoyed him frequently, he did feel a teensy bit bad most of the time and wished Soren could simply stand up to him. Hopefully, he would grow more courage in the future, but until then, Kludd supposed it was his duty to teach his brother to stand up for himself.

_And he'll need these lessons more then ever now. _Kludd thought to himself. _I've heard horrible tales about these St. Aggie's owls. What if one of them snatches us while Mum and Da are out hunting? What if they snatch Soren while _I'm _gone? Someone will have to defend the hollow, and while Mrs. Plithiver would probably be able to warn us, that is the only way she could help us. At least I'll be able to stay in the hollow for a little while after First Flight. Perhaps after that, I can convince Da to let me have battle claws, and when those brutes from St. Aggie's come, I'll be ready._

As night turned to day and Kludd settled into his nest, his last thoughts were, _I'll defend this hollow. If it's the last thing I do, I'll defend our family._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

From a branch in the fir tree that he called his home, Kludd viewed carefully the forest landscape before him. Earlier that day, his parents, along with Mrs. Plithiver, had left the hollow to go visit a friend of theirs, who had recently lost on of her hatchlings, and had put Kludd in charge until they got back. After they were gone, Kludd decided that it would be best if Soren stayed in the hollow while he kept a lookout for St. Aggie's patrols. Soren had, of course, objected, saying that Da had told them both to stay put in the hollow, but Kludd had eased his fears by promising Soren that he wouldn't be too far, and that, on each branch, he would shree once if he was alright and twice if something was wrong. He had even promised Soren that he could sleep in Kludd's nest for the night if he kept quiet to their parents and Mrs. P, as she was often called. With that, Soren promised to keep his beak shut, and Kludd made his way out the branch that led directly to their hollow and, after doing a careful check of his surroundings, shreed once to let Soren know all was well, as promised, doing the same thing with each subsequent branch. His new sister Eglantine, thankfully, stayed silent on the matter.

Now, as Kludd leaped to a branch far behind the hollow, he scanned the new horizon he saw before him. _Maybe being noisy isn't such a bad thing after all. _Kludd churred to himself, remembering his Da's earlier critique of his branching skills. _Sure scared those St. Aggie's thugs away. _No sooner was Kludd about to shree his signal, however, than he heard the sound of wings flapping, and within moments several large Barn Owls had landed on the same branch. For a moment, terror filled Kludd's gizzard, and he considered shreeing twice to communicate to Soren that something had happened, when he noticed the metallic glint of steel in the moonlight. _Are those…_ Kludd thought to himself, his gizzard trembling in both awe and fear as he stared at their shining battle claws.

"I see you've taken an interest in our battle claws." A voice said, sounding interested, if not slightly amused. The voice had a lovely sort of lilt to it, Kludd noted, but he still held his ground. "No!" Kludd growled out defensively, although it was more of a shriek than a growl. "I won't let you take my siblings to St. Aggie's. I won't!"

The voice churred, a gentle chur Kludd would have found soothing, were he not so nervous, and replied, "Such a bold young Tyto, defending his family like that." Eventually, the owner of the voice joined the other Barn Owls in front of Kludd, and Kludd's bottom beak almost hit the forest floor; she was perhaps both the largest and most beautiful Barn Owl he had ever seen. Her black eyes sparkled like a midnight sky full of stars, the feathers on her wings and back were a lovely tan colour, her beak was a lovely peach shade that reminded Kludd of a rose his mum once brought home, and her chest and face feathers were a pure white, purer than Kludd thought possible for a Barn Owl. Her face, in itself, reminded Kludd of the moon – or at least, what little he'd seen of it in the forest.

"I promise you, young Tyto, we are not from St. Aggies and mean no harm." The moon – faced owl promised. "Well…" Kludd stammered, then regained his composure and shreed, "Then who are you, where are you from, and what do you want?" "Of course." The moon-faced owl replied. "It is understandable that you do not trust us. In any case, I am Nyra, adjunct general of the Tytonic Union of the Pure Ones."

"The whatta – what – what?" Kludd asked, shaking his head in confusion. Nyra churred. "The Tytonic Union of the Pure Ones, or simply, the Pure Ones. We are a group that believes that Tytos are among the purest species of owls, and we hope to populate all the owl kingdoms with owls of these species." This explanation relaxed Kludd's fears, but piqued his curiosity as well. "Tell me more." Kludd said, fixating his eyes once again on their battle claws.

And tell him more they did. Kludd was fascinated with the stories they told, which were nothing like those of his Da. There had been a story about the small part of Ambala that they had conquered recently, they had told him of Tytian, a small ruler they had driven out of a part of Silverveil, which they had later claimed, and countless others which impressed Kludd greatly. Eventually, Nyra spoke up. "On this particular night, we have been searching the owl kingdoms for recruits, and we believe you have potential." She then leaned over and whispered into Kludd's ear slit, "There is always room for fresh blood."

_This might be my chance. _Kludd thought to himself. _I will protect my family, make Mum and Da proud! _"I would definitely be interested." Kludd said, no hesitation in his voice. "But…" he added, a note of sadness in his voice, "I haven't had First Flight yet."

Nyra churred once more, and Kludd swore he had never heard a lovelier sound. "I'm sure this won't be an issue." She replied, and Kludd thought he would faint. "I'll speak to the High Tyto and see what we can do." _And he'll let him join, I'm sure. _Nyra thought to herself. _He would make a wonderful Pure One. I can sense the fires of blood and rage stirring in his gizzard._

Eventually, Kludd pulled himself out of the trance Nyra put on him and remembered what he was here to do. "Well," Kludd stated, "I best be letting my brother and sister know that I'm okay. They're probably worried sick about me."

"Of course." Nyra nodded sympathetically, before adding, "What is your name, young'un?"

"Kludd." Kludd replied steadily. "Kludd Alba."

"Well, Kludd," Nyra said, a smile gracing her moon like face, "talons crossed we meet again. And please do think about it." And with that she, along with the other Barn Owls with her, hopped off the branch and flew away into the night as Kludd quickly hopped branch by branch, back to his hollow.

When he at last got back, he was bombarded with questions by none other than Soren. "Where were you? What happened? Are you alright?" "I'm fine, Soren, really." Kludd replied. "I just got distracted by the view and lost track of time." He didn't tell Soren about Nyra or any of the Barn Owls he had met. "You're not going to tell Da, are you?"

Soren shook his head no. "Cross my heart." He said simply. "Hope to fly." And never in Kludd's life had he ever been so happy with his brother. "Thank you." He said, carrying Soren towards his nest and plopping him down ever so gently before adding, "As promised."

That night, after Noctus, Marella, and Mrs. P returned home, Noctus told his hatchlings stories of Ga'Hoole like he always did. But when Kludd fell asleep that night, Soren tucked under his wing, his last thoughts were of Nyra, and an almost giddy feeling had settled into his gizzard.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nyra and her top lieutenant Stryker, along with a company of other Barn Owls, flew back to their fortress on the borders of Tyto and Ambala, the full shine moon casting a silvery light on their wings as they glided through the night. A Sooty patrol shrieked out a greeting, "Hail, Adjunct General Nyra returns!" Thousands of Barn, Grass, Masked, and Sooty Owls stood tall, shoulders erect, but Nyra barely regarded them. Her thoughts were on the young nestling Kludd. _Such a handsome young owl. And with more rage in his gizzard than any owl I've ever seen! He'll be a perfect Pure One ruler of the Southern Kingdoms – and the Northern Kingdoms!_

Nyra herself had been hatched in the Northern Kingdoms, near the Bitter Sea, to be precise, on the night of a lunar eclipse. There was something special about owlets who hatched on the night of a lunar eclipse, Nyra later learned. An enchantment was cast upon that creature, sometimes good leading to greatness of spirit, and sometimes bad leading to pure evil. But in the eyes of her father, all she amounted to was seagull splat after her mother died; finally, one day, she killed the miserable mooncalf and flew off to the Southern Kingdoms, where she came across the High Tyto, a grizzled old Barn Owl named Agamemnon and his mate Leonie. Neither asked any questions about where she came from; they simply led her to the Pure Ones fortress and took her in right away. She proved herself to the Pure Ones within days, revealing herself to be a cunning and vicious owl. Eventually, Leonie fell ill and died, causing Agamemnon – or "Ag", as Nyra once heard Leonie call him – to take Nyra as his mate. He was a disgusting old owl, and Nyra hoped desperately that Glaux would take him soon. On the other wing, however, if he died, there would be no one but her to lead, and if she died, who then? This was precisely why she wanted Kludd; he would be perfect, she just knew it.

She must have been flying faster than she thought, because before long, she arrived at the throne of Ag himself. Per custom, she dipped her head in obeisance, as did the other owls in her party, before approaching Ag, whose back was turned to them. "Your Pureness," she began, "we have successfully recruited scores of Tytos young and old to our ranks."

"Did you not think I guessed that, Nyra?" Ag said, his voice a low, raspy growl. "Did you think, for one second, I would let any of you stand before me if you hadn't? You clearly have other business to attend to, my dear, or else why would you be blathering on about things unimportant to me?" By this time, Ag had turned to face them, his dark, black eyes glaring from his scarred, white face.

_Always one to get to the point, _Nyra thought to herself, then proceeded. "There is a nestling, Your Pureness," she whispered, "that I believe to be a cut above the rest. I found him in Tyto, in a fir tree near the River Hoole."

"And what makes you believe," Ag cut her off, "that this nestling is so special, my dear?"

Nyra flinched at the High Tyto's tone, but she pressed on. "I saw the look in his eyes, Your Pureness, when he first fastened our eyes on our battle claws. It was the look of pure, absolute rage that could not be quelled." The Pure Ones, in their twisted minds, equated rage to courage, and therefore valued it above all other traits. "I do think that an owl such as this will be essential to the Pure Ones' domination of all the owl kingdoms – not just those of the South, but those of the North as well."

Ag cocked his head, which Nyra took as a sign that he was interested. "He has not yet learned to fly, so we could not bring him here to you; otherwise, we would, so that you could see for yourself the rage and blood in his eyes. However, when he has had his First Flight ceremony, perhaps we can invite him to a ceremony of our own, and he shall prove himself as a Pure One."

For a moment, an unnerving silence filled the ruins. Then, at last, Ag spoke up. "This nestling you speak of", he said slowly, almost cautiously, "what is his name?" "Kludd, Your Pureness." Nyra replied. "Kludd Alba."

Ag gave a barely perceptible nod, then wrote something down on a piece of parchment and sent for one of his messengers, a one – eyed Sooty Owl named Blackwing. "Take this to the Forest Kingdom of Tyto, to the tree of Kludd Alba…" "A fir near the Tyto branch of the River Hoole." Nyra offered. "Yes, yes," Ag replied, dismissing her with a wave of his port wing. "Do not give it to any owl unless they identify themselves as Kludd Alba, even if they live in that location." With that, Blackwing was off, and Ag leaned towards Nyra. "If you are right, my dear," he said in a lecherous tone, "victory shall be ours, and you and I will have power beyond measure."

_What a flatterer. _Nyra thought derisively, but she held her tongue. "Your Pureness," she replied, a sly sparkle lighting her eyes, "has my gizzard ever been wrong before?"

Kludd was shaking. His parents, siblings, and even Mrs. P were asleep when he got the message from Blackwing. Everyone else in the hollow was sound asleep, but Kludd was wide awake as he read and reread the scroll over and over again.

_To Kludd Alba,_

_It has come to our attention via a Pure One patrol that you have shown potential to be a member of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones. According to this patrol, you have shown yourself to be an owl of great rage and ferocity, and may lead the Pure Ones to glory and power. Thereby, it has been agreed that, after you have mastered your First Flight ceremony, you will be invited to partake in a ceremony typical to the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones._

_Should you choose to accept this invitation, you must fly towards the ruins of a castle belonging to the Others in a section of Tyto known as Redwood. There, you will be briefed on what is expected at ceremonies typical to the Union as well as customs of the Union. After you complete your first Pure One ceremony, if you are successful, you will be initiated into the Pure One ranks and become an immediate member. This information is not to be shared with anyone else; bury this note immediately upon reading it._

_Their Pureness',_

_High Tyto Agamemnon & Adjunct General Nyra_

Kludd read the note one last time, committing it to memory, and then, using his beak and talons, climbed down to the forest floor below, dug a neat little hole near the base of the tree, put the note in, and then buried it per the instructions. He then climbed back up the tree to his hollow, being careful so as to make no noise, and sat back in his nest. He was, however, still not ready to sleep. He was invited to attend a ceremony of the Pure Ones! What would it be like? Would it be full of glory and stimulated battles? One thing was for sure: he would never find out if he didn't complete his First Flight ceremony smoothly.

Indeed, the last thing he did before he finally fell asleep was look at the pair of wings tucked at his sides and whisper, "Keep your racdrops together."

**Authors Note: Hey, sorry I was away so long, school has been kicking my ass! Okay, so as most of you have probably noticed, no one in "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" has given the old High Tyto a proper name (which is one of the few grievances I have w/ Kathryn Lasky), so I decided to give him one. For those of you who don't know, Agamemnon is a king from Ancient Greek mythology who, after the Trojan War, was murdered by his wife and her lover, and I found the name quite fitting since… well, you know. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for all the love you've given so far!**


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